>> terror at the finish. bombers target the boston marathon killing and maiming the crowd. >> there were some really, really bad injuries. >> runners down and just smoke and people up against the fences and just horrific. >> tonight, terrifying firsthand accounts and the fbi investigation into this act of terror. >> hello, everybody. >> i'm denise coke. >> it is confirmed three people are dead, 150 hurt in this unthinkable tragedy. we bring you the late breaking

updates. the chaos for spectators on the ground. and kai jackson tells us about increased security in baltimore and across the state. shock waves going through our local running community tonight. first in boston. >> reporter: much of downtown boston remains shut down as police investigate a crime scene several blocks long, even hours after these blasts, they are going from trash can to trash can along the marathon route as well as the surrounding streets to make sure there are no more explosives. the first bomb went off just before 3:00 p.m. near the finish of the boston marathon sending smoke into the air and runners and spectators to the ground. then a second explosion went off two blocks away. medical personnel stationed at the finish line to care for fatigued runners became battlefield medics.

the injured, some missing limbs were placed into waiting ambulances. witnesses were stunned. >> kind of like something horrible, and everyone just stopped and looked around and just had this horrible feeling. >> reporter: authorities are also searching the entire marathon route for clues. >> we are stablizing the situation at this point in time but people should be cautious. >> reporter: after the explosion, cell phone service in these surrounding areas was completely shut down to prevent any remote detonations but they are unclear how the bombs were set off. president obama promised federal help for victims and their families. >> we will find out who did this. we'll find out why they did this. any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice. >> reporter: sources tell cbs news that a man is being detained and police are questioning him, but he is not being called a suspect. investigators are also looking at surveillance tapes and other images of the scene before and after the explosion to try and

piece together what happened and who might be responsible. the bombings here have prompted officials in other major cities to increase their own security. in fact, this coming sunday, london is holding a marathon and they are now reevaluating their security plans. reporting in boston, back to you. >> it is hard to comprehend the frightening moments as not one but two bombs explode into the crowd. wjz is live. you can feel the terror of those caught up in the blast. mary? >> reporter: what you are about to see is the first video obtained by cbs news just after the attacks began.

>> he's having an attack. [ crowd noise ] [ sirens ] . >> oh, my god. my god. oh, my god. >> oh, my god. [ sirens ] >> reporter: and that is unedited video of the first

attack around 2:50 at the finish line. vic? >> thank you, mary. all afternoon ada may has been reaching out to marathoners from maryland who found themselves at the center. adam? >> reporter: hundreds of people from maryland were running in the race or cheering on their friends and family and some were close to the finish line and witnessed the attack. two explosions within seconds of each other at the start of the boston marathon turned one of the most celebrated races in the country into a scene of cashage. 448 runners from maryland took part in the race. that includes peter pulley began from -- mulligan from canton. >> i heard the explosions. at first i thought it was like a big giant truck caught fire or something. >> reporter: mary hasler from hartford county was just down the street. she was cheering on her daughter running her first marathon. >> we were waiting for her to come, because based on her time she should be turning the

corner. we heard the first explosion. we looked at each other and like, that's an explosion. then there's a second one that followed. it was right where we were. we just walked down in the park area and started calling her name. she was okay. >> reporter: images of the injured will stay with maryland eyewitnesses forever, including ryan mcgrath. >> you had people who just finished the marathon and lifelong achievement and they're pretty excited. and then we actually saw a few people come by running and crying, sirens, ambulances, fire trucks. really, really chaotic. >> reporter: also we've been checking with local running clubs scattered around the state of maryland. >> right now it appears all of their racers are safe and sound. vic? >> thank you. here at home law enforcement is stepping up its presence all over the state. cie is live with details. >> reporter: the baltimore explosions are causing a ripple

effect. police are on a high state of alert and say citizens should be equally cautious. beefing up security in the wake of the explosion. in baltimore police commissioner told a news conference after the blast to tell citizens what police are doing and what people can expect to see. >> there is an increased presence of uniformed officers in critical areas across the city. >> reporter: police say we can also expect to see an increased police presence around public transportation like amtrak. the city bus system and other transportation will be under surveillance. maryland state police will also be on guard. tactical teams with the city are out now and starting tomorrow, baltimore police will deploy special operations teams throughout the city. citizens can expect to see heavily armed tactical officers patrolling. things like infrastructure, government buildings and landmarks will all be under

greater scrutiny. >> i think how we address any poe tenial advertise is to be -- potentialalties. if there's anything suspicious call us. >> reporter: vice-president joe biden is slated to be in town tomorrow for a scheduled event. additionally that will be another reason citizens will see a heightened police presence around town. back to you. >> all right, we've gotten word tonight that hartford county schools cancelled field trips to washington, d.c. and aberdeen proving ground tomorrow as a precaution. >> some of the heroes of this terrible day in boston, the marathon medical staff working around the clock to treat the gruesome injuries. back to mary life on the mass casualties at the finish line. >> reporter: at least ten amputations, many other severe injuries. the rescue personnel who responded today said they sa battlefield type injuries on the streets of boston.

[ sirens). >> reporter: emergency crews rush in as most rush out. >> they responded within 15 seconds. you saw everybody coming down here. >> reporter: the injuries are severe. reports say doctors are pulling ball bearings out of people in the e.r. suggesting theexplosion sieve devices were designed to have shrapnel. >> reporter: nurses at the marathon tended to tired runners at the finish line instead rushed to help the badly wounded, some with severed limbs. >> some were very profound. one woman lost her leg, lots of bleeding. some children were involved as well. >> really the amount of blood, the amount of injuries. >> i kind of just had to kind of collect myself a bit and prepare myself for what i was going to see, and as just a team, we really tried to work together and hold our own so we can take care of the people coming in. that's what we did. >> reporter: heroic actions out there today.

most of the medical personnel at the race were volunteers, about 1,300 there today. back to you, vic. >> okay, mary, thank you. the tightknit running community here in baltimore is closely following this tragedy. meghan mccorkell continues our live coverage downtown. >> reporter: it was pure panic for a lot of people here in maryland desperately trying to reach local runners in boston. >> there was a second explosion. i think we're just hearing. >> reporter: moments after the explosions in boston, frantic attempts from people here in maryland to get in touch with friends and loved ones there. >> they didn't have their cell phones with them. nobody knew what happened to them. >> reporter: at falls running store, people are glued to the tv coverage. he managed to get hold of his entire team in boston. >> you could feel the chaos starting to build with people calling out, have you seen my friend, my relatives? >> it's obviously a horrifying situation up there. >> reporter: lee corrigan

manages the baltimore running festival. about 30,000 spectators usually gathered here at the finish line of the baltimore city marathon and can expect to see some heightened security this year. >> we are no stranger to this. the very first marathon in baltimore occurred a month after 9/11. so we are at a heightened state of alert at that issue. >> reporter: emergency operation center is set up at the stadium as 400 officers patrol the racecourse. those numbers could rise in the wake of what happened in boston. >> and we've learned members of the u.s. naval academy marathon team in boston are all safe and accounted for tonight. denise, back to you. >> thank you very much, magen. here's what we know. three people confirmed dead, one an 8-year-old boy and more than 140 people injured in this attack. late tonight, the fbi took over the investigation into who is behind the bombings. there were two separate

explosions before the boston marathon finish line where 27,000 runners were coming in. stay with wjz online and on air for the latest developments any time log on to cbsbaltimore.com. >> what investigators are working for. warmer temperatures and perhaps spring showers headed our way. i'm bob turk. i'm have your completely forecast coming up next. >> complete coverage continues with denise. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

>> it's cloudy and 55 degrees in central maryland right now. the complete forecast is coming up. first we continue our coverage of the deadly bombings at the boston marathon. adam has the latest from the fbi in this investigation. first let's go straight to kai jackson with a gripping firsthand account from one of the runners. kai? >> reporter: that's right, vic. the explosions happened about four hours after the race started. all of the elite runners had already finished but several thousand were still on the course. and that included wbz reporter paul burton. >> reporter: 50 yards from the explosion, saw both of them go off. there was smoke and glass everywhere. we did not know what it was at

first. we thought it sounded like a cannon going off. we thought that was very strange because we had never heard canons go off at any time during this race. so we didn't know what to do. we kept on running. when the second explosion happened we were stopped in our tracks. that's when everyone started running in the opposite direction towards us. we were literally about 50 yards from the finish line trying to finish the race and we saw it all unfold. i watched how the smoke and the glass came across the street. my mother and my wife were in the grandstand watching this. they were about 15 feet from the explosion. it was terrifying. and obviously there were a lot of injuries in this. >> reporter: now, the runners still on the course were diverted to boston common. organizers say that about 4,500 of them were within two miles of the finish line. back to you. >> all right, thank you very much, kai. now the investigation into the bombing is in its early stages. but adam may is in the news room with more on the key

pieces of evidence left behind. adam? >> one key piece at both explosion sights. a third explosive device left infact underneath the main grandstand by the finish line. former director of the fbi john miller explains the process experts will go through to examine the device. >> one of the things they learned in two war zones and numerous terrorist cases is, fingerprints are inadvertently left behind. remember the bomber doesn't believe there's going to be much to recover. he's intending that device is going to go off. sometimes they're more sloppy than they would be. a hair may fall in there which can offer dna. even if they covered their tracks to leave all that out, simply the way the bomb is mailed, if it's something they've seen before, they've categorized all of them and may recognize a bomber's signature which would give them an indication. >> that could be critical in the investigation. late tonight the fbi announced they are taking charge of the criminal investigation into

these explosions. so far, no arrests have been made. denise. >> thank you very much, adam. again, no credible person or group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. still to come on eyewitness news, he's responsible for capturing some of the first images from the scene of the terror attack at the boston marathon. >> hear from one of the reporters caught in the middle of the mass confusion, coming up. and some warmer temps here coming back our way. i'll have the complete forecast coming up. ,,,, i know this great spot for eggs benedict. oh, yeah? where? here. dunkin' nailed it. didn't even have to wait for a table. dunkin's new eggs benedict sandwich is here. now you can enjoy ham, pepper-fried egg, and hollandaise spread anywhere.

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they're coming. yeah. british. later. sorry. ok...four words... scarecrow in the wind... a baboon... monkey? hot stew saturday!? ronny: hey jimmy, how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? jimmy: happier than paul revere with a cell phone. ronny: why not? anncr: get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. well, we have the latest from the boston marathon. three people, including an 8- year-old boy, have been killed. more than 130 injured. the two explosions took place about 100 yards apart near the finish line. the fbi has now taken over the investigation. so far, no arrests have been made and no person or group has taken responsibility for the

attack. president obama is vowing that those responsible will feel the full weight of justice. >> and of course, our coverage on the tragedy in boston will continue in just a moment. first let's check in with bob to get a check of the weather. bo ? >> temperatures are pretty close to where we should be this time of the year. we've had a lot of clouds. 55 now. we got into the low 60s this afternoon. slightly below average. the humidity is up a little bit. east winds at 6. the barometer has been rising 30.30 inches. warm spot, looks like d.c. at 59. oakland at 50. 57 over in hagerstown. locally, low to mid-upper 50s by the bay. the bay temperatures jumped up around 55, 56 degrees. so it's warming up slowly by surely once again. d.c. still close to 60. it's the east winds keeping the clouds in. by tomorrow afternoon they'll start shifting more to the south. that means we'll probably get

rid of the clouds and temperatures will start back on their way up. there's some pretty mild air down in the south right now. memphis is 75. dallas, this late at night, is 78. some of that warm air. you can see the dividing line right through there. chicago down to 47. minneapolis 37. only 30 bismarck. you've had snow today. denver were up in the 70s. they've had snow in that region. not too heavy but it's been consistent the last week or two. phoenix still at 79. down in the south at 78. it was in the 80s, close to 90 in portions of -- we had a little drizzle and sprinkles this morning that moved offshore. you can see that going through the carolinas gave us some clouds. overnight tonight we should probably clear at least maybe for a little while but also some fog that will form in some spots. to the northwest, another front. probably give us a scattered showers or thundershower. as it gets closer, mild air for

a little while. it will start cooling down. eventually the best chance of rain will come probably on friday. a little chance with that front in the vicinity going back and forth. scattered showers, thundershower wednesday afternoon and good chance late in the day on friday of steady wind. gusty winds on the bay and small craft advisory. overnight tonight mostly cloudy skies. around 50. 70 tomorrow. sun will come back in the afternoon. late tomorrow night on wednesday, maybe a shower. maybe a thundershower is possible in some spots. the best chance i think is going to come on friday. 76, 72, 74. getting cooler again as the cool air moves in. maybe that chance of rain friday night down to 62. a lot of sunshine, but a cool night, 38 on saturday night. denise? >> thank you, bob. ing coming up, it was utter chaos when two bombs exploded near the finish line at the boston marathon. >> the man who shot these powerful images describes what it was like to live through it

all. our complete coverage continues next. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

>> the boston marathon is one of america's biggest sporting event. one of the many journalists was producer steve stilva of boston.com. he was at the finish line when the bomb went off. here's his dramatic video and what he was thinking. >> i was squared up right on the finish line and right off to my right out of the blue, it was a loud thump and a thud. it was a thud noise and smoke went up in the air. for a split second i thought is this some kind of a fireworks

or some runner, famous runner coming across? a few photographers, videoographers, we ran toward the area. as we're running under 20 seconds later the second bomb went off one block up. so we knew it was serious. you can immediately see the carnage. the problem was the people that were injured in the blast were on the other side of the partition to keep them off of the racecourse. so everyone had to pull the partitions away to get to the people. and then radio the people in the medical tent. then the police came. but you couldn't get outside help because all the roads were blocked off and the sidewalks were thick with about 10, 15 people. people were just running in every direction, but didn't really know which direction to go. it was just pure chaos. >> 23,000 people took part in the race. an estimated 6,000 were still on the course at the time of the explosions. and again here now is what we know about the bombing at the boston marathon. three people have been confirmed dead, one an 8-year- old boy. more than 140 injured in this attack, many critical. late tonight the fbi has taken over the investigation into who

is behind the bombings. there were two separate explosions on the street just before the boston marathon finish line were 27,000 runners were coming in. so stay with wjz for complete coverage of the explosions at the boston marathon. we will have all the devilments online at cbsbaltimore.com. >> we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,

>> be sure to tune into eyewitness news morning addition for live, complete coverage of all the developments from boston. coming up, "the late show" with david letterman, steve carrell. >> we want to thank you for watching